Cuesta-rey Cigars, The name of Cuesta-Rey dates back to the time when Tampa, Florida, was the American capital of a flourishing cigar manufacturing industry. Founded in 1884 by Angel La Madrid Cuesta, who was soon joined by Peregrino Rey, "clear Havanas" (cigars made in the United States from Cuban tobaccos) were their trade.

These days, Cuesta-Rey is presided over by the Newman family, owners of the last of the great Tampa cigar houses. They, too, have a proud history dating back a century and recorded in a recent book by tobacco historian Glen Westfall.

There are four series: Cabinet Selection: Centennial Collection, celebrating the founding of the brand in 1884; No. 95, commemorating the start of the Newman enterprise in 1895; and standard Cuesta-Rey, still made in Tampa, but by machine not hand.

Cabinet, Centennial, and No. 95 are all fully handmade in the Dominican Republic. Listed below is the Centennial Collection, a brand widely distributed throughout the world. These cigars are well put together using light Connecticut wrappers and Dominican binders. A veil of secrecy is drawn across the precise blend of filler by the family, but it seems that some Brazilian tobaccos are used. The flavor is mild, making it a perfect morning smoke.